


Close to Home

by AnnaTheHank



Series: Soft Convin [6]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Connor's birthday, M/M, biggest amount of fluff, they buy a house, they're just soft okay?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 17:16:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaTheHank/pseuds/AnnaTheHank
Summary: Connor and Gavin decide it's time they grow up and get a house together.





	Close to Home

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it's been AGES to write this one. I ended up doing camp nano and whoop there goes all my writing time!! HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY!!!!

Connor’s fingers roamed over Gavin’s body, running along the lengths of his various scars. For the past week, he’s found a new one to ask about every night. Gavin rested his head against Connor’s arm, eyes fixated on his phone as he did so.

“This one?” Connor asked, his delicate skin grazing over the short scar low on Gavin’s side. He kissed into Gavin’s neck, breathing in against his skin.

“Appendicitis,” Gavin said. Connor pressed his nose into Gavin’s neck, urging him on. “Nothing much to say. I was twelve and uh...well.”

“Everything okay?” Connor asked. He sat up on his elbow a bit, looking down at Gavin. 

Gavin took a deep breath. “Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine I just, uh, I guess I had blocked it out of my memory.” He chuckled a breathy laugh.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Connor said, laying back down and kissing Gavin’s cheek.

“No, it’s okay.” Gavin dropped his arm to the side, letting his phone rest on the bed. “I had just been with this family when it happened. And they...they actually wanted me you know? They were all ready to start the adoption process and everything. Which is strange because I was twelve and well, you know, me.”

Connor wrapped his arms around Gavin’s waist, pulling him back as close as he could. 

“Anyway. Uh, I got this pain right there and they took me to the doctor who sent me to the hospital and that night I went in for surgery.” He chuckled again. “Came to the next day to find out that they didn’t want me anymore. Didn’t want any kids actually. Apparently, they’re too expensive and time-consuming. So they just kind of left me there”

Connor sat up a bit, pulling Gavin with him. “Surely they can’t do that?”

“Yeah, well, they did.” He pulled Connor back to the bed, turning around to face him. “And let me tell you, recovering from surgery in a group home sure is fun. Can’t tell you the number of times some kid found it funny to try and punch it.”

Connor growled a bit. “I want names,” he said.

Gavin laughed, placing his hand on Connor’s cheek. “It’s fine. I’m over it.”

“Well, I’m not.”

Gavin smiled and kissed him. Then he turned back around in his arms, grabbing for his phone again.

“It’s quite late,” Connor whispered, snuggling up against his back. “You should go to sleep.”

“I can’t right now. I got an hour of free lives,” Gavin whispered back.

Connor sighed, watching Gavin playing his game. “If you don’t go to sleep for an hour you’re going to be severely tired tomorrow.”

“It’s not gonna kill me,” Gavin said, smirking.

“Here.” Connor reached over and grabbed the phone.

“Hey!” Gavin said, turning over and reaching for it back.

“You go to sleep,” Connor said, holding the phone close. “I’ll play your lives for you.”

Gavin glared at him, then settled down against his side. “Fine. But you better play the full hour. I don’t want that going to waste.”

“Don’t worry,” Connor said, starting the next level. “I’ll play it.”

“You just gotta match three of the same color,” Gavin mumbled, eyes dropping as he watched Connor play. “And any more than that gives you power-ups.”

“I think I’m capable of figuring it out, thank you,” Connor said.

Gavin scoffed. “Fine Mr. smarty pants.” He let his eyes close, and before long he was snoring softly, his breath tickling the skin of Connor’s shoulder.

-

Gavin’s alarm blared him to consciousness. He mumbled, but it turned off before he was able to turn around to it. He was vaguely aware of the warmth he was laying against. He forced his eyes open, staring up at Connor.

“Connor?” he asked, eyes blurry, voice groggy. 

“One moment,” Connor said. 

Gavin looked down, sighing when he saw Connor still playing the game from last night.

“Oh my god,” he mumbled, laughing a bit. He reached an arm across, grabbing the phone from Connor.

“What? Hey!” Connor said. He put up a little resistance but was too surprised to hold the phone.

Gavin chuckled, dropping the phone on the bed behind him. He cuddled back into Connor’s side, enjoying having him there in the morning. Usually, he was always up before Gavin, leaving him to wake up cold and alone. This was a pleasant change. 

“It’s morning,” Gavin told him. He closed his eyes, wishing he could just go back to sleep for a little bit longer.

Connor blinked. “So it is. I’m sorry. I must have lost track of time.”

Gavin laughed. “Don’t worry about it. It happens.”

“I hope you don’t mind, but I bought more lives. I promise I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t have to pay me back,” Gavin said. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“It’s so simple,” Connor said. “Not at all intellectually challenging. Why is it so addictive?”

“The magic of match three,” Gavin said. He snuggled in closer, draping an arm over Connor’s chest.

“We should get up,” Connor said, making no effort to move.

“Yeah.”

It was quiet for a moment. Then Connor said, “This is nice.”

Gavin smiled. “Yeah. It is.”

“You’re falling asleep again.”

“Yep.”

“We have work.”

“Uh-huh.”

Connor turned on his side, pressing a kiss to Gavin’s temple before escaping from his embrace and standing up.

Gavin followed him to the side of the bed, reaching out and grabbing his arm. “Five more minutes,” he begged.

“I don’t want to be late.” Connor leaned over and kissed Gavin’s head. “I’ll go make you some coffee.”

Gavin laid back on the bed, watching Connor leave the room. He groaned, pulling the blankets around him in defiance.

Connor returned a moment later, sighing as he spotted the lump in the bed.

“Honestly, detective. This is no way for a grown man to behave.”

“I’m not leaving until you get back in this bed and cuddle with me for at least five minutes.”

“We don’t have time for that, Gavin.” Connor grabbed his clothes, putting them on as he looked at the bed.

“Guess we aren’t going to work today then, huh?”

“I don’t know about you,” Connor said, tying his tie. “But I’m leaving in fifteen minutes.”

Gavin sat up, the blankets falling and pooling at his waist. “You’re mean,” he said.

Connor smirked, walking over. He grabbed Gavin’s head, pulling him into a deep kiss. “You’ll feel better after some coffee.”

“I’ll feel better after some cuddling, too,” Gavin mumbled.

Connor just smiled at him and left. Gavin looked around at the empty bed and decided to get up.

-

Two hours of work later, Gavin slumped his way over to Connor’s desk, sitting heavily with a sigh in the chair beside it.

“Everything alright, Detective?” Connor asked, not moving his eyes from the screen before him.

“No,” Gavin grumbled. “You refused to cuddle with me this morning and now it’s gonna be two whole nights before I get to.”

Connor smiled, a hint of a smirk just in the edges. He reflected back on how Gavin was when they first started dating. He had been desperate for physical content then, but it was more sexual in nature. Now, however, Gavin was always trying to cuddle up to Connor’s side or hold him in his lap. There had even been a few occasions where Gavin had tried to crawl into Connor’s lap. Connor chuckled to himself. He loved Gavin quite a lot.

“Well, now,” Connor said, finally spinning to look at his boyfriend. “You could always come by tonight for dinner. Richard is coming over to socialize. I’m sure you would find the experience pleasurable.”

“Yeah, pass,” Gavin said. He scooted closer, dropping his voice to a whisper as he glanced at the other android over his shoulder. “To be honest, he kind of creeps me out.”

“He’s your partner,” Connor said. “You’ve been working together for two months now. What could possibly be wrong with him?”

“That’s what I’d like to know. He’s just...off, you know? Like, awkward. And...weird.”

Connor tilted his head and studied the android across the room. Richard was sitting at his desk, perfectly straight-backed, typing on his keyboard in precise motions. He blinked. It was very robotic. 

“Perhaps he’s just getting used to his new surroundings and deviancy. It took me a while to adjust as well.”

Gavin shook his head. “No. It’s definitely different.”

“Well, you could always come to dinner tonight and talk to him outside the confines of work. It helps in understanding someone more.”

“Nice try,” Gavin said, leaning back in the chair. “But I’m going to sit at home and order a large stuffed-crust pizza and eat it all in one sitting far away from your judging gaze.”

“Allow me to give it to you now, then,” Connor said, forcing his face into a frown, downcast eyes looking over at Gavin.

Gavin laughed and it took all of Connor’s energy to not just lean over and kiss him. But they had agreed on nothing of that sort at work, especially since their little makeout session in the supply closet the other week that hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed.

Gavin sighed, standing up and stretching a bit. “Guess I’d better get back to work. Those crimes aren’t gonna solve themselves.”

“And you are?” Connor asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow as he looked up at Gavin.

“Wow,” Gavin said, shaking his head. “I’m a terrible influence on you.”

They smiled at each other and Gavin wandered back to his desk, Richard not even sparing him a glance as he sat down. Connor sighed and started thinking about what it would be like to be able to go home to Gavin every night. Of course, he would never move into Gavin’s apartment, it being far too small and away from Hank and Sumo. And he knew that Gavin still was against moving in with them, even though he no longer fought the occasional overnight stay. Connor shook the daydream from his head. It would never happen, and he had to be okay with the set up they had now.

Even if he sort of hated it just a little bit.

-

“I don’t see the purpose of this,” Richard said. He placed his hands behind his back and stood the side as he watched Connor chop carrots. “We don’t eat.”

Connor cracked a smile at him. “No. But Hank does.”

“So why doesn't he cook?”

Connor placed the knife down and carried the carrots over the soup boiling on the stove. “Because,” he said, dumping the vegetable in. “I enjoy cooking. It’s a soothing activity.”

Richard simply stared at him. 

“Here.” Connor grabbed his arm and dragged Richard over to the cutting board. He placed a few stalks of celery on the board and handed him the knife. “Give it a go.”

Richard gave him a look but took the knife. He stood before the cutting board and chopped the celery up with precision and speed. He took a step back and watched Connor add it to the soup.

“See?” Connor said, stirring the new ingredients in. “Fun.”

“I...suppose,” Richard said. 

Hank took that moment to walk in, sporting the new clothes and freshly showered hair after a particularly gruesome crime scene had left them both a little more than dingy.

“Sorry for taking so long,” he said, sighing a bit as he entered the room.

“No need,” Connor said. “Soup should be done in a few minutes.”

“Ah. Thanks.”

The three stood in silence, made awkward by Richard’s perfect stillness.

“So,” Connor said, eager to involve the other android in what he was currently studying. Human interaction. “How’s work going?”

Richard blinked at him. “Perfectly acceptable,” he reported. He then proceeded to give them a report of his entire case file. “So as you can see,” he said, “everything seems to be moving at a good pace. And I’m sure we’ll find our suspect soon.”

Connor couldn’t help but smile at the other android. He wondered if he had ever been that stiff and punctual before. He couldn’t remember it. Even when he wasn’t deviant his social programming kept him pretty loose in terms of conversation.

“What about working with Detective Reed?” Connor asked. Hank scoffed a bit and decided to set himself a place at the table.

“He is a good detective,” Richard informed him. “He does his job well, if not with a side of...impulsiveness.”

Hank chuckled a bit. “That’s one word for it.”

“He doesn't seem to be too intent on the rules and proper procedures,” Richard continued. “Whatever it takes to get the job done, he’ll say, even if it’s not proper.”

“Most humans are like that,” Connor told him, turning the stove off, letting the soup cool a bit before it was ready to eat. “You might even end up like that yourself.” He remembered a few times he had had to fudge the rules a few times to accomplish his goals, even as a machine.

“I certainly hope not.”

Hank got himself a bowl and the three of them sat at the table. Richard staring Hank down as he ate.

“You don’t have to watch me eat,” Hank told him, glancing quickly to Connor for help.

“I’m sorry,” Richard said, still staring at him. “I was unsure of what else I was to do.”

Connor hummed. Richard told him he was a little behind in terms of understanding how humans were, but even as a machine Connor hadn’t been that awkward, he hoped at least. No. Richard should have the same social programming as Connor, if not better. This didn’t seem right at all.

“We could talk,” Connor said, shifting so he was facing Richard. Richard followed his movements, and out of the corner of his eye, Connor saw Hank relax a bit. 

“I’ve already told you about my case,” Richard said. He shrugged a bit. “What else is there to discuss?”

“Well, what kind of things do you do when you aren’t at work?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Hank asked. “How do you just do nothing.”

Richard tilted his head a bit, seemingly confused by the question. “I return to my room at Jericho and I enter stasis until it is time for me to return to work.”

“Jesus,” Hank said. “That’s...kind of sad.”

Richard recoiled a bit. “Sad?”

“I think what Hank’s saying,” Connor said, giving the Lieutenant a hard glance, “is that you have the time and freedom to discover new things. You should take advantage of that.”

“I can’t possibly think of what I could discover.”

“A hobby of sorts,” Connor explained. “Like cooking. Or, I don’t know, hang out with the others in Jericho. They all seemed fond of you when I last visited Markus.”

“It didn’t seem like an appropriate use of my time,” Richard explained.

“And this is?” Hank asked, laughing a bit.

Connor rolled his eyes. “You should give it a shot. You might even enjoy it.”

Richard nodded stiffly. “Very well. Tomorrow night I shall...hang out.”

Connor smiled. “Good.”

They spent the rest of the night in relative quiet.

-

It was Hank’s day off, so Connor was quiet as could be as he locked the door and prepared for work. His walk to the car was interrupted when he heard huffing, followed by a loud sort of bang next door. He spun around, body tense for any trouble.

But there was no trouble at all. His neighbor, Mr. Weekly, was simply depositing a rather large bookcase at the end of the street, a moving van eagerly waiting for the new deposit. 

Curious, Connor wandered over.

“Good morning,” he greeted, standing an acceptable distance away.

“Mornin’, Connor,” Mr. Weekly said, resting against the bookcase and breathing deeply.

Connor studied the van. “Moving somewhere?” He asked.

“Yeah,” his neighbor replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Judith’s mother is getting pretty old and she wants to be near her for the end. So we’re moving out west.”

Connor looked to the house, the formation of an idea in his mind. “Will you be renting your place out?”

“Selling it, actually,” Mr. Weekly replied. “Don’t want the hassle of dealing with it all.”

Connor opened his mouth slightly, then asked, “How long until you move?”

“Next week. Trying to move it pretty fast, so uh, if you know anyone looking to buy a house, let me know.”

Connor nodded, smiling at his soon-to-be-ex-neighbor. “I will be certain to do just that.”

-

Gavin looked up from his desk when Connor arrived. He was whole three minutes late to work, and if Gavin's stomach wasn’t doing summersaults, he would have mocked him for it.

Conor smirked at him, holding out a bottle of TUMs. “Antacid?” he asked.

“Fuck you,” Gavin mumbled, taking the bottle from him with a slight smile to ease the strength of his words.

Connor chuckled. “That’s what you get for eating an entire pizza by yourself in one night.”

Gavin shook his head. “Wanna know what’s worse? I didn’t even manage to finish it. There’s one piece left, sitting in the fridge. It was mocking me this morning.”

“Could have had it for breakfast,” Connor suggested.

“Oh, god, no.” Gavin curled over a bit, wishing the gurgling in his stomach would cease.

“I know I wasn’t planning to,” Connor said. “But is it alright if I come by for dinner this evening?”

Gavin sat up a bit, no longer concerned with his stomach. “Oh yeah? Did my unhealthy eating habits impress you?”

Connor chuckled and resisted the urge to reach out and run his fingers through Gavin’s hair. “Not quite. But I did have something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Gavin shrugged. “You know I don’t mind if you come by. Whenever you want.”

“Excellent. Do you have food at your place or should I pick you up something.”

Gavin squinted at him. “I have food, sheesh.”

Connor chuckled and walked away.

-

That night Connor arrived at Gavin’s apartment, holding a take-out bag from the restaurant down the street.

“I didn’t believe you,” Connor said, putting the bag on the table as Gavin came to greet him in the hallway. 

“Good call,” Gavin said, laughing a bit. “Otherwise that last piece of pizza would torment me no longer.”

Connor sighed, shaking his head, then grabbed Gavin’s waist and pulled him close, kissing him as he had been wanting to do all day. Gavin wound his fingers in Connor’s hair, deepening the kiss and breathing into it.

“Quite the kiss, there,” He said, chuckling as they parted. “Been holding onto that one for a while, have ya?”

“It has been over twenty-four hours,” Connor informed him. 

“Well, c’mon in.” Gavin grabbed the bag from the table and walked Connor over to the couch, where he eagerly opened the box his dinner was in. 

Connor watched him fondly as he ate. It wasn’t the strange, studious sare Richard looked at Hank with, but rather a loving and longing one. 

Gavin raised an eyebrow, a french fry hanging out of his mouth. “Something on my face?”

Connor huffed a laugh and leaned over, placing a quick peck to Gavin’s cheek. “Just my kiss,” he said.

Gavin turned away as he blushed. “Wow, super corny,” he said, trying, and failing, to hide the smile from his voice. He cleared his throat and turned back, face calm once more. “So, said you had something to discuss with me?”

“Yes.” Connor sat up a bit straighter, putting his hands in his lap. He smiled, eyes wide as he could make them. “Gavin, I would like to move in with you.”

Gavin blinked at him, expression unchanged. Connor’s face fell a bit. That certainly wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

“You want to move in here?” Gavin asked, his voice breaking up a little. “What about Hank?”

“No,” Connor clarified. “I don’t want to live here, certainly.”

Gavin frowned at him. “Hey, you could do worse than this apartment.”

“And I could do better. So can you. And we should.”

Gavin furrowed his eyebrows. “What are you getting at?”

“There’s a house for sale,” Connor said. “Right next door to Hank. I think you and I should buy it and live in it together.”

“Oh. Uh.” Gavin looked down at his half-eaten meal. He placed the box on the coffee table and sat back in the couch, looking straight ahead. 

Connor let him sit in silence for a minute before shifting forward. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

“You don’t...I mean you don’t think it’s too soon?” Gavin asked. He wasn’t looking at him and that made Connor nervous. 

“Too soon?” Connor asked. “It’s already August.”

“Not in the year,” Gavin said, a soft smile playing at the edge of his lips. “Our relationship.”

Connor gingerly reached out a hand. Gavin still didn’t look at him, but he did let their fingers interlace. 

“I understand,” Connor said, even though he found talking a bit difficult. There must be some malfunction with his verbal processors. “I just thought it would be a good set up. Being with you, but also close to Hank. But the timing isn’t right.”

Gavin licked his lips and finally looked at Connor. Connor found it difficult to tell what Gavin was thinking. His eyes were open, but out of fear or worry Connor couldn’t decipher. 

“I’m sorry,” Gavin whispered. “I just, uhm...I don’t think I can do that Connor.”

Connor grabbed Gavin’s other hand, shifting even closer. “Can’t do what?”

“The whole...domestic thing. You know. The whole buying a house or getting married. It’s just...it’s, not me.”

Connor pulled Gavin forward, surprising the detective. Connor moved his hands from Gavin’s hands to his waist, looking into the now bewildered eyes of his boyfriend.

“I don’t believe that’s true,” Connor said, his voice strong and earnest. Gavin didn’t respond. “I think this was meant to be. You and me Gavin! I can feel it. We are meant to be together! And we’re meant to be together in that house! Why else would it become available right when I’m getting frustrated with all of this?”

“You’re frustrated?”

“Of course.” Connor brought one hand up to Gavin’s cheek, running a thumb over it gently. “I miss you, Gavin. Every moment we’re apart. I hate not coming home to you every night or waking up with you every morning. I want to live with you. And I know, I know, that if you just try it you’ll see. You’ll see that’s where you belong. At home. With me.”

Gavin gulped and his eyes started to tear up. Connor leaned away a bit, worried he had upset him, had ruined his chances of being with him forever. His worries melted away when Gavin pressed forward, granting Connor a long and hungry kiss.

They broke apart, panting, holding each other close. Gavin’s forehead was pressed against Connor’s and when he sighed his breath tickled Connor’s nose. “Alright,” he said. “You win.”

Connor smiled and tilted his head for another, shorter, kiss. “I always win,” he said.

“Shut-up,” Gavin mumbled.

-

It took two weeks to get everything in order, most of the snaggles coming from the legalities of owning the house together without being married. It was dumb and it infuriated Gavin, but Connor was always right there to soothe him and kiss his anger away. He may have let Connor believe he was angrier than he actually was. He really liked Connor’s kisses.

Eventually, everything got settled and Connor collected the keys from the realtor on his day off. It was strange to Gavin, not driving straight to his apartment after work. It was something he would have to get used to. At least the drive was more tolerable, a lot less traffic heading out of the city rather than in.

Connor was waiting for him on the little porch, all wide-eyed and even wider smile. Gavin couldn't help but grin as he pulled into the driveway. That was certainly a sight he could get used to. 

Connor met him in the yard, grabbing him and pulling him into a kiss. “Welcome home,” he whispered.

Gavin chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is now, huh?”

“C’mon.” Connor grabbed Gavin’s hand and led him inside, tugging on his arm to go faster. 

It was laid out like Hank’s house, a large, open living room that led nicely into the kitchen. A nice, dark hardwood covered most of the floor, and their feet clanked against it as they walked. 

“We can put a tv up on this wall,” Connor said, still holding Gavin's hand and pointing to the wall with his free one. “And put couches and chairs here. Of course, we’ll need to make sure we have enough for all our friends to sit.” He pulled Gavin over to the kitchen, releasing his hand and gesturing to the wide space. “We could get an actual table in here, and not that small excuse for a table you have. Because of course, we’ll have everyone over for dinner.”

Gavin nodded, fighting the lump forming in his throat. Connor stepped down to him, smile fading as he studied Gavin’s face. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, taking Gavin’s hands in his own.

“Nothing,” Gavin said, his voice breaking and giving him away.

 

“Gavin,” Connor said, his voice a whisper, head tilting closer to him.

Gavin sighed. “I just, uh, I guess I just can’t see it like you do. I just keep seeing Hank’s house, you know? Like with the furniture or what not. I just...I don’t know. I guess I can’t really imagine it since I never really thought…”

Connor stepped closer, resting his forehead against Gavin’s. “You never thought you’d own a home?”

Gavin shook their heads. “At least not with someone else. With a boyfriend. I just…” he chuckled an airy laugh. “I can’t believe all that’s happened in the last...what? Almost a year? I’ve changed so much.” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “I don’t even really recognize myself anymore.”

Connor cupped his chin and looked into his eyes. “I recognize you,” he said. “You’re the same you you’ve always been. It was just hidden under years of doubt and pain. You’re still you, Gavin.” He smiled. “And it’s okay to accept this new life. Improving your life doesn't change who you are. It just helps you realize it.”

Gavin placed a soft kiss to Connor’s mouth. “How do you always know the right things to say, hm?”

Connor kissed him back. “I guess I’m just a genius like that.” He pulled away a bit. “I’ve already ordered food. And I got an inflatable mattress so we could sleep here tonight. I figured it seemed fitting to spend our first night actually here.”

“You know,” Gavin said, grabbing Connor’s waist and pulling him back, “I’ve never done it on an inflatable mattress before. Water bed, sure, but air…”

Connor wrapped his arms around Gavin, giving him a sultry look. “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

-

Gavin woke up with a crick in his neck to find that the mattress had deflated overnight, leaving him sleeping on the floor. He rolled over, forcing himself to his knees, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Judging by the sun in the window, it was still early. 

He perked up when he smelled breakfast cooking. Eggs and bacon and slightly burnt toast. He stumbled to his feet, stopped by the bathroom, and wandered down to the kitchen. 

Connor was standing by the stove, humming softly as he flipped the bacon over. Gavin leaned against the wall, smiling and watching Connor work. It still felt weird, having a house, having a house with Connor, but he did enjoy the view.

Connor turned to place the bacon on the plate and spied Gavin. He turned to him, a wide smile on his face.

“Good morning!” Connor said. He walked over, dropping the plate on the table first, and grabbed Gavin’s waist, placing a deep kiss on his cheek. “How did you sleep? First night in a new place and all that?”

Gavin chuckled. “It was all fine and good until the mattress deflated on me.”

Connor’s smile deflated a bit. “Oh? There must be a small leak in it somewhere. I’m terribly sorry.”

“Hey.” Gavin grabbed Connor’s waist, pulling him closer a bit. “It’s alright.”

“I know,” Connor said. “I just wanted to make sure that your first night, and first day, was perfect here.”

“Con, you can’t spend all your time worrying about me. I’m Gavin, remember. I’m always going to find something to complain about.”

Connor laughed a bit at that. “Yes. You will. But I know you did this for me. And so I want to make sure you don’t regret it.”

“I won’t. It may have all been your idea, but I’m really happy to be here, I promise. I want this with you, Connor.”

Connor hung his head a bit, then looked at Connor through his eyelashes. “And you love me?”

Gavin smiled. He brushed the stray strand of hair from Connor’s face. “I love you.”

“Good.”

They moved in for a kiss, each enjoying the first morning in their new home together. 

Then Connor pulled away, saying, “Your breakfast is getting cold,” before walking over to the sink to clean up.

Gavin pouted, slumping over to the table. It never failed to amaze Gavin how easily Connor seemed to switch from uncertain and needy to self-assured and business-like. It annoyed him too, but in a good keep-me-on-my-toes kind of annoyed. He could never one hundred percent figure out what Connor’s next move would be, and that kind of excited him.

-

Connor pouted, blinking at Gavin with his big eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want to paint anything?”

Gavin sighed, placing the pack of doorknobs in the basket. “I told you, if you want to paint, then get paint.”

“But I can tell you don’t want to,” Connor said. He pushed the cart along, head hanging low. “And I wouldn’t want to do anything you don’t want to in the house. It is our house after all.”

“Yeah, Con. It’s our house. So you should do whatever you want in it.”

“But not if it conflicts with what you want.”

“Oh my god!” Gavin stopped walking, Connor pulling the cart up behind him. “I don’t want anything, Connor. I don’t fucking care about the walls! If you want to paint them, fine! If you want to leave them plain, fine! If you want to cover them in fucking bushwack, go for it! I don’t care!”

He regretted it immediately. Connor nodded, body stiff, and started pushing the cart back down the aisle. Gavin ran a hand down his face and slumped after him, trying to formulate the best way to apologize.

He followed Connor all the way back to the paint aisle, where the android parked the cart next to the swatches and stared at them, arms crossed and mouth in a hard line. Gavin stood next to him, a few inches away, as close as he would dare go after losing his cool like that.

“What are you thinking?” Gavin asked.

Connor bit his lip and Gavin noticed how his eyes were starting to tear up.

Fuck. He really didn’t want to apologize and make-up in public, but he couldn’t just stand there and watch Connor cry. He sighed and turned to face him, closing the distance so no other people could be privy to their conversation.

“I’m sorry, Con. I shouldn’t have yelled, you know, like I always do. I just...I just get kind of frustrated when you do your whole, everything has to revolve around what other people want act. You gotta have an opinion about things, you know? And fight for them, too.”

“I know,” Connor said, his voice a strange strain. “But I...I can’t.”

Gavin grabbed his hand and held it close. “Can’t what?”

Connor turned to look at him and Gavin really wished they were at home so he could hold him close and kiss his tears away and pull him in his lap and comfort him. But that would be quite the scene in a home improvement store. 

“I can’t have opinions, Gavin. My programming won’t allow for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m designed to adapt to my partner to make work go smoothly. I like what the person I’m with likes.”

Gavin blinked and thought back on it. He always just assumed Connor didn’t like certain things for other reasons, like he hadn’t heard enough music to decide on a favorite or he doesn’t eat foods. He shook his head. “Well, that can’t be entirely true. You came to the conclusion that you like murder mystery movies all by yourself.”

Connor wiped away his tears. “I...well, that’s true.”

“You can do this. C’mon.” Gavin grabbed Connor’s arm and turned them back to the paints. “There’s just way too many options to choose from here.” He scanned the papers and decided a nice bright yellow would look good in their bedroom, something to catch the light and warm up the space. He shifted Connor to the side. “Here,” he pointed to one row of light yellows. “Pick something from here for our bedroom.”

Connor’s eyes swept over the area. He lifted his arm up, then slowly put it back down, face furrowed in confusion. “Markus makes this look so easy,” he whispered.

“He’s had more practice,” Gavin said. He rubbed Connor’s arm, encouraging. “Just go with your gut.”

Thankfully Connor didn’t make a comment on how he didn’t have a gut. Instead, he reached out and pulled out a swatch, pointing to the middle shade. “This one.”

“Pineapple Explosion,” Gavin read. He smiled at his boyfriend. “Looks perfect.”

Connor’s body relaxed a little bit. “I, uh, I think that’s enough paint for one day.”

“Yeah. We can always paint the rest later.”

“I’m sorry I annoyed you.”

Gavin waved it off and started heading for the paint counter. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.”

“Yes. But you were right. I do need more practice on this whole having an opinion thing.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get there.”

-

Gavin had agreed to stay at Hank’s while they got the house fixed and ready for furniture. That way they could work late into the night and just go to sleep next door so they could be ready for work in the morning. And they were doing just that.

“I love the molding in here,” Connor mused as he touched up a few spots of paint near the baseboard. 

“There you go,” Gavin said, smiling over his shoulder as he rolled the roller. “That’s an opinion.”

Connor smiled and sat back on his legs. “You don’t have to keep pointing that out.”

Gavin chuckled. “Yeah but it’s fun. It’s like a new game.”

Connor scoffed and presently Gavin felt a speck of wet against his neck. He reached back, turning to face Connor with yellow fingers. Connor was looking at him with an adorably innocent face.

“Oh?” Gavin asked. “Is that how it’s gonna be?”

“How what’s going to be?” Connor asked. 

Gavin dipped his roller in the drip pan and extended it, reaching it out to Connor. Connor tried to scurry away but Gavin jumped forward and pressed the roller to Connor’s face, rolling it up over his nose and across his hair.

Gavin pulled back, laughing at Connor’s stuck-up yellow hair and shocked expression. Connor glared at him, a smile playing at the edge of his lips.

“Fine, then,” he said, slowly standing up. He wiped off his face, leaving a bit of a tinge to his skin and hair. He picked up his own drip pan and walked slowly around until he was straight across from Gavin.

Gavin held his roller in front of him for defense. “Whatcha doing there?”

Connor just smirked and then jolted forward, dumping the pan over Gavin’s head. Gavin sputtered, wiping his eyes clean and dropping the roller. He scooped a handful of paint in his hand and didn’t give Connor time to react before he lunged forward, splattering the androids’ face.

Connor grabbed Gavin around the waist and they fell to the floor, laughing as they wrestled for dominance. Of course, Connor won, pining Gavin down.

“Don’t you dare,” Gavin said, trying to pull from his grip.

Connor just continued to smile, shaking his head so the paint flew from his hair and landed across Gavin’s face like little, yellow freckles.

“You’re a brat,” Gavin said, trying to clear his face without the use of his hands. 

Connor chuckled and leaned down, placing a kiss to Gavin’s lips that was ruined only by the taste of the paint on their lips. Connor sat back, releasing Gavin so he could sit up and wipe his face clean. 

“Ugh. Now I need a shower.”

Connor shifted closer. “Me too.”

-

The next night, Connor found himself alone in his new house with Richard. Gavin had yelled at the other android for his improper interrogation techniques and had banned him from their room. It was clear that Gavin was going to have to stay late to get his confession (even with Hank offering to stay and help), and Connor had offered for Richard to come check out the new house, a decision which he was now regretting.

“It looks no different from any other house,” Richard mused, looking around at the empty space and the bare walls. “It’s practically identical to Lieutenant Anderson’s.”

“Yes,” Connor said, hanging his jacket up in the hall closet. “They were built around the same time and all the houses in the neighborhood were designed to be symmetrical to each other.”

Richard shook his head. “I don’t understand. Why are you so proud of it if it’s no different than any other house on the block.”

“Well, because I own it.” Richard tilted his head, looking for more information. “Don’t you feel a sense of pride with your apartment in Jericho?”

“No. It is simply a place to rest and await the next day. What is there to be proud of in that?”

Connor sighed. Gavin was right, there was something off with Richard and it was certainly difficult to connect with him.

“What about your clothes?” Connor said gesturing to the cyberlife jacket that Richard had refused to part with, even after Connor offered to help him shop for new clothes. “Don’t you have some sort of attachment or pride in them?”

“No. I told you. It’s simply not worth spending money on something new when these work perfectly well.”

Connor nodded. It had been a similar explanation he had given Gavin. Maybe Richard just needed to hang out with more humans to get to the point Connor was, to understand more about his emotions.

There was a knock at the door and both androids jumped a bit. 

“Are you expecting someone?” Richard asked, his body fully tensed and ready for a fight.

“No,” Connor said. He gave Richard a strange look as he went to open the door.

Markus was standing on the other side, all bright eyes and wide smile. He was holding a canvas covered by a plastic bag, but Connor couldn’t immediately see what it was. 

“Markus?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”

Connor stepped to the side and Markus trudged in. “Well, I heard you had bought a house, so I thought I’d come give you a bit of a house warming gift.”

Connor worried slightly as Markus looked around the space. He hadn’t seen him since the incident two months ago, when he had accidentally connected with Markus and had shared everything. He blushed at the thought of what Markus has seen.

“It’s cozy,” Markus said. “If not a little empty.”

“Furniture is being delivered on Monday,” Connor informed him. “And Gavin still hasn’t packed up his apartment yet.”

Markus chuckled at that. “Here.” He handed Connor the canvas. 

“You didn’t have to,” Connor said, grabbing it.

“I know. But I wanted to.”

Connor smiled at him then looked down at the painting. It was breathtaking. Literally. Connor stared at it, forgetting to breathe, his systems starting to overheat a little. “I...it’s beautiful,” he said. 

He was staring at himself, and everyone he was friends with at the DPD. It was sort of like a family portrait; Connor and Gavin holding hands, Hank with his hand on Connor’s shoulder, Tina and Christ next to Gavin smiling brightly and even Richard over by Hank, stiff as ever. And they were all in brilliant, vibrant colors that seemed to match their personalities just right. He knew Markus would never have been able to make something so wonderful without Connor’s memories. So at least one good thing had come out of it.

“Good,” Markus said. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.”

“It’s a bit messy,” Richard said, peering over at it. 

Markus gave him a quizzical look. “It’s art. It’s not supposed to be perfectly clean.”

Richard shrugged. “If you say so.”

Markus turned his look to Connor and Connor shook his head a little.

“Richard,” Markus asked, “might I be able to ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“You were based off of Connor’s original programming and design, so theoretically you should have the same social programming, if not better, as him. Did they change much to that?”

“Oh,” Richard said, his head falling a bit. There was a strange sadness in his eyes that left Connor feeling uneasy. “I suppose not. Or if they did, I wouldn’t know.”

“What do you mean?” Markus asked.

Richard seemed to shrink away a bit. “I’m not...I’m not finished,” he said, his voice small and fragile. Connor felt the immediate need to comfort him. He even stepped forward a bit, hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

“Not finished?” Connor asked.

Richard shook his head and looked away. “They were still making me when the revolution happened. Certain parts and programs hadn’t been installed yet.”

“That must be difficult,” Markus said.

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Connor asked. 

Richard turned away, Connor’s hand falling off. “It’s…” he groaned a little bit and Connor knew what it was like to struggle to find words, especially for emotions.

“It’s okay,” Connor said. “I understand. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Richard turned back around, eyes searching Connor’s face for lies. “You don’t think any less of me?”

Connor gave him a small smile, “of course not.”

Richard turned to Markus with the same question in his eyes. “Hey,” Markus said. “You’re one of Jericho. We have nothing but love for you.”

Connor’s smile fell a bit, knowing that the same sentiments wouldn’t be given to him. 

“I appreciate your sentiments,” Richard said, and Markus chuckled a little.

“Well,” Markus said, smiling over at Connor. “I should get going.”

“Yes, of course.” Connor set the painting down against the wall and walked Markus back to the door. “Thank you very much for stopping by, and for the gift.”

Markus placed a warm hand on Connor’s arm. “I can tell you’re happy, Connor,” he said. “And I’m happy for you.”

Connor beamed at him, perhaps his only android friend. “Thank you, Markus.”

“I should probably go, too,” Richard said, following after him.

“Oh, yes.” Connor studied his almost second android friend. “Have a good evening. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Richard nodded at him stiffly and Connor was left alone in his new house. He glanced around, once again feeling the unsettledness that came with being alone. He picked up the painting and hung it up in the center of the wall. He stepped back, smiling at it, staring at it. He didn’t even realize how much time had passed until the door opened.

Connor startled, turning to Gavin as he wiped his feet off. It had started raining outside and Gavin shook himself dry.

“Hey,” Gavin said, peeling his jacket off.

“Hello.” Connor checked and frowned when he realized that three hours had passed since Markus and Richard left. He turned his confused eyes to the painting, wondering where the time had gone.

Gavin walked over, wrapping an arm around Connor’s waist. “What’s this?”

“A painting,” Connor told him, arm sneaking over Gavin’s shoulders.

“Gee, no shit,” Gavin snorted. “Did you make it?”

“Certainly not,” Connor said. “Markus came by tonight. Said it was a housewarming gift.”

Gavin huffed. “Talented guy.”

“Yes.” Connor let his eyes wander to the floor. “He is.”

Gavin turned and grabbed Connor’s chin, forcing his face up. “Hey. You’re talented, too.”

Connor gave him a soft smile. “Did you get your confession.”

Gavin smirked, pulling back a bit. “You know we did!”

Connor couldn’t help himself. He grabbed hold of Gavin’s waist and pulled him close, kissing him deeply. Gavin’s fingers tangled themselves in Connor’s hair and Connor sighed softly, enjoying being in company once more.

When the parted, panting and missing their bed, Connor rested his head against Gavin’s and closed his eyes.

“Hey,” Gavin whispered. “You okay?”

Connor hummed. Gavin reached up and stroked his cheek and Connor opened his eyes. “There are a few things troubling me,” he admitted. “But nothing that needs to be fretted over.”

Gavin frowned and squinted at him. “Tell me about ‘em.”

Connor shook his head, pulling away. “It’s late,” he said. “You should go to bed.” Connor grabbed Gavin’s hand and started leading him towards the door.

Gavin dug his feet into the floor and pulled back. “Nu-uh,” he said. “First you’re going to talk, then we’re going to blow up that horrid air mattress and have copious amounts of sex.”

Connor chuckled and pulled himself to Gavin. “What if we had copious amounts of sex first?”

“Cause you know I’ll fall asleep and you’ll get away with not talking about it.”

Connor tilted his head and looked down at the ground. Gavin was right, of course, and he had been banking on that. “I’d rather not talk about it now,” he said. “I...I need some more time to process exactly what’s bothering me.”

Gavin crossed his arms, frowning at him. “Well, maybe I can help you figure it out.”

Connor shook his head. “I don’t believe you can.”

“Maybe you can talk to Markus about it?”

“No!” 

Gavin leaned back at that, eyes wide.

“Sorry,” Conor said. “I just...I’m worried about connecting with him again.”

Gavin huffed a laugh. “I told you it wasn’t cheating.”

“No, I know. I just...I wasn’t in complete control of myself. And I did not enjoy that aspect of it.”

Gavin nodded, leaning back into the embrace. “How about I help by taking your mind off everything?”

Connor smiled, his eyes clouded with desire. “Now that sounds like an excellent idea.”

-

Gavin woke up on Monday morning already in a bad mood. Just the idea of moving put a boil in his stomach and on top of that Connor had stayed at the house to wait for the furniture truck to show up. Gavin mumbled, shuffling along in his apartment, throwing together the last two or three things he hadn’t packed yet. Having to lift heavy boxes on a brisk fall day was upsetting, but the knowledge that Gavin would never again have to spend a night without Connor in his bed certainly made it worth it.

Didn’t mean he wasn’t going to grumble about the process, of course.

Tina and Chris arrived shortly after he woke, all bright-eyed and awake and ready to work. Gavin let them carry all the heavy things down to the cars. He didn’t really realize how little stuff he owned until they figured out they could fit all his boxes in his and Tina’s car without needing to rent a truck. It helped that he wasn’t bringing any furniture, but still.

The furniture truck was already there by the time the arrived, Gavin making them stop by a donut shop for a sugary breakfast to ease his tensioned mind. Connor, Richard, and Hank were already halfway through unloading all the furniture when they pulled into the parking lot.

“Took your damn time,” Hank mumbled at them as he and Richard carried the sofa into the house. 

“What can I say,” Gavin said, waving into the air. “I need my beauty rest.”

Connor came out of the house soon after Hank and Richard entered and smiled widely at Gavin, bounding his way over to him. He wrapped his arms around Gavin’s waist and placed a kiss on his cheek.

“Good morning,” he said. “Or rather, good soon to be afternoon.” He chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah.” Gavin turned, hugging Connor back and pulling him down into a proper kiss.

“Get a room,” Tina said, laughing as she passed them.

“Oh, we have a room,” Gavin said back at her.

She winked at him. “Then use it.”

Connor blushed a little and pulled away. Fixing his tie that Gavin thought was completely unnecessary on a moving day, but far be it from Connor to never wear one. “We really should get on with unpacking,” he said. “Why don’t you help with the furniture?”

“Cause it’s heavy,” Gavin said, frowning a bit.

Connor gave him a delicious smirk and grabbed one of Gavin’s arms, squeezing it just a bit. “But you’re so strong.”

Gavin scowled at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. And it wasn’t going to work this time. Except that Connor tilted his head, looking over at Gavin through his eyelashes and dammit that android would be the death of him one day.

Gavin grumbled and went to join Richard in the truck. They were at the furniture bedroom and he and Richard grabbed the bed frame while Connor and Hank tackled the mattress together. Just getting that wooden catastrophe through the door was hard enough, let alone maneuvering it through the hall and into the bedroom.

They deposited the frame up against the wall and Gavin groaned, stretching his back out a bit. Hank and Connor left the mattress by the door and then Richard and Hank left while Connor started assembling the slots in the frame that would hold the mattress. 

“You alright, detective?” Connor asked, watching Gavin stretch.

“Yeah, just my back’s all messed up is all.”

Connor huffed a laugh. “That’s because your old bed is terrible. This new one should help with that.”

Connor stood up and Gavin helped him ease the mattress down onto the frame. Then he spun around and flopped down onto it, legs hanging off the edge.

“Okay,” he said. “That’s all. I’m done for the day.”

Connor chuckled and leaned over him, hands next to his shoulder, lips inches away. How did he expect Gavin to not reach up and pull him down into a kiss?

“We need to finish bringing everything in,” Connor whispered once Gavin released him, still leaning over the other man.

“Or,” Gavin suggested, wiggling his eyebrows a bit.

Connor laughed softly. “It isn’t fair to the others,” he said. “They’re volunteering to help us and besides, it wouldn’t be right to have sex with four of our coworkers in the other room.”

Gavin wrapped his legs around Connor’s waist, holding him down. “Nah, that just makes it all the more exciting.”

Connor bent his head down and placed the softest, most lingering kiss against Gavin’s mouth. “You’ll have plenty of excitement tonight, that’s for sure.”

Gavin released Connor, who promptly stood up. 

“Yeah?” He asked.

Connor nodded at him, gave him a knowing smirk, and then left the room. Gavin needed to take a minute to compose himself before he followed suit. 

-

It had taken most of the afternoon to get everything in and rearranged until it was in the perfect spot that Connor dictated. Afterwards, Connor and Gavin bought pizza for everyone as thanks. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, particularly Richard who had trouble suppressing a smile as Gavin attempted to get the television and various devices for it connected properly. 

Everyone left in the early evening and it only took Gavin about an hour of unpacking to get all his apartment stuff settled. He stood in the living room, looking around and pouting a bit.

“It is...empty,” Connor said, glancing around as well. “I suppose I figured you had more stuff because your apartment was so small.”

“It wasn’t that small,” Gavin grumbled, crossing his arms.

Connor chuckled and moved next to Gavin, wrapping an arm around him as both of their gazes landed on the painting Markus had made them. 

“We can go out and buy some stuff next weekend,” Connor suggested.

Gavin shook his head. “No.” Connor tilted his head at him. “We shouldn’t just, buy stuff to buy it you know? This is like, a fresh start, right? Sort of anyway. And we should only have things in our house that hold meaning or whatever. Like that.” Gavin pointed at the painting and Connor nodded slowly.

“I see what you mean.” He smiled and rested his head against Gavin’s. “I can’t wait to fill this home up with all kinds of new memories.”

At that, Gavin felt anxious. But not anxious at the prospect that he was going to be spending the rest of his life in this house with Connor, but anxious that he didn’t feel anxious about that. He was finally settling into a life with love and understanding and it worried him that he wasn’t worried. 

But he shook those feelings aside and squeezed Connor’s waist a bit. “So, about that excitement, hm?”

Connor laughed and took his hand, leading him down to their new bedroom.

The bed had been made with dark green sheets and Gavin leaned back on it, resting on his elbows, remembering once again how wonderful a new mattress really felt like. Connor stood at the foot of the bed, a strange expression on his face as he looked at Gavin and removed his tie with slow, steady movements.

“What?” Gavin asked, equal parts concerned and intrigued by Connor’s face.

Connor blinked a few times then shook his head. “Nothing.” He finished removing his tie and started undoing his shirt, still staring quizzically at Gavin.

“So then why are you staring at me?” Gavin asked.

“Cause you’re cute.”

Gavin smirked and Connor mirrored, climbing onto the bed, shirt half open, to straddle Gavin’s waist. His hands found Gavin’s arms, skin peeling away at the point of contact. 

Gavin remained silent, staring at Connor’s now-closed eyes. He felt those little sparks of electricity, the information that Connor was trying to send, would be able to share with another android. 

But even though Gavin was human, he could understand it. He knew it because he knew Connor. He knew Connor was happy because he was happy. They had made a home together and all the fear and problems that came with that didn’t matter in the moment. The kid who had grown up in foster care and the android who had identity issues had found a home together, had joined their problems and turned them into solutions, had faced their demons and found angels in each other. They were home and they were safe. It was a sentiment that didn’t need to be said or exchanged to be felt and understood.

Connor pulled away, hands moving to grab Gavin’s head, sparks of love against his cheek. Connor opened his warm, brown eyes and Gavin felt himself melting.

“I love you, Gavin Reed.”

“I love you, Connor Anderson.”

Connor leaned forward and pulled Gavin into a kiss, the skin reforming over his hands.

“No,” Gavin mumbled, sitting up a bit to hold Connor’s wrists. Connor studied his face, head tilting a bit. “Take it off. All of it.”

“But you said-”

“I know. Just this once.”

Connor nodded and his skin peeled away, shocking Gavin’s hands and revealing the smooth plastic underneath. And it was weird, as it had been when Gavin had first suggested Connor spend some time around him with his skin off. But that was months ago. And now Gavin loved Connor, for more than just his soft hair, deep eyes, and cute body. 

This wasn’t who Connor was, this white plastic with a mechanic heart beating inside of it. Because humans can’t be made in a factory, and there was no doubt about this man's humanity. He was a kind, ridiculously caring soul who didn’t deserve the hell life threw at him. That was who Connor was, the feelings and emotions that lived inside the shell.

And that was who Gavin loved.

-

Gavin woke up the next morning, rolling around, arms reaching out for the body that wasn’t there. He knew Connor wouldn’t be there, but there was a little piece of him that hopped that after spending the first night in their home with a proper bed and not that inflatable disaster Connor would have stuck around for some cuddling.

Gavin got to his feet and looked around, reorienting himself to the new layout. He stopped by the bathroom then wandered down the hall, looking to give Connor a piece of his mind regarding morning snuggles. 

He found Connor sitting at the kitchen table, arms hanging at his side, head down. Gavin opened his mouth to say something but he stopped when he spotted the splotches of red on Connor’s hands. 

“Holy shit.” Gavin raced over and knelt down next to Connor, grabbing his arm and looking at his hand. “Is that blood?”

“No,” Connor said, his voice distant and despondent. “It’s paint.”

Gavin looked up at Connor’s face. It was blank, the only indication of his emotions the bright red LED on the side of his face.

“Okay,” Gavin said, his voice slow. “Were you painting?”

Connor shook his head a little. Gavin waited but the android said nothing more.

“C’mon, Con.” Gavin dragged a chair over and sat down, one hand still holding Connor’s arm and the other rubbing the back of his head. “Tell me what happened.”

Connor took a shaky breath. “I woke up this morning. And-and I know we haven’t gotten any mail yet and it’s too early but I wanted to check, just in case.” Gavin nodded and rubbed Connor’s arm, encouraging him to go on. “There was something painted on our house so I cleaned it up,” Connor finished, looking down and away.

“Okay.” Gavin scooted a little closer. “What was it.” Connor just shook his head. “C’mon. Tell me.”

 

“I’d rather not repeat it.” Connor’s voice was so small and far away. Gavin reached over and pulled him into a hug, resting Connor’s head on his chest as he ran his fingers through Connor’s hair.

He didn’t need Connor to tell him what it was, he knew. It was some anti-android slogan or something berating an android/human relationship. He wanted to murder whoever it was that had done that, but first, he’d need to find them.

“Do you know who it was?” Gavin asked, working very hard to keep his voice a controlled whisper. Connor shook his head against Gavin’s chest. “Do you know where the paint came from?”

“It’s not worth it.”

Gavin shook him a little bit, tightening his hug. “It is Connor. These assholes need to be punished.”

Connor sighed and his body fell deeper into Gavin’s embrace. He gave him the name of a paint shop a few blocks away where the paint had come from, after a gross scene of him licking said paint off his fingers. Gavin still wasn’t quite used to that bit, and despite all Connor’s assurances that his mouth was self-cleaning, he still made him brush his teeth before they kissed again.

With this new clue to the case, Gavin got dressed and stormed over to the paint shop, leaving Connor in the care of Hank, who was left confused as Gavin couldn’t be bothered to tell him anything. 

He entered the store with a fire in his eyes and his heart beating fast, the sound carried through his veins up to his ears. It was a small paint shop, a little store nestled between others in some back alley of the city. 

There was one clerk, an android with red hair, sitting at the counter, looking through a paint catalog. His head snapped to attention when Gavin entered.

“Hello,” the clerk said with a smile.

“Yeah, hi.” Gavin placed his hands in his pockets and looked around. “I need a list of everyone who bought red paint from you recently. Uh, this color.” He held out the scrap piece that Connor had given him.

The clerk tilted his head at him.”I...I’m sorry?”

Gavin pulled out his badge. “Look, I’m a cop and I need it okay.”

“Oh, of course.” The android smiled at him wider. He looked off to the side then, his LED blinking rapidly as he looked up past transactions. Gavin had to admit, that was pretty cool. “I’m sorry, but it looks like that last time someone purchased this particular color was over a year ago. The shade has since been discontinued.”

“Oh. Really?”

The clerk nodded. 

“Well, uh who was it?”

The LED blinked a little again. “A Mr. Carl Manfred.”

“Right. Good. Uh, thanks.”

Gavin left the store with a cold feeling in his gut. That was a complete dead end. The creeps must have had the paint forever ago, or had stolen it. Gavin cursed, he hadn’t even thought to ask about any recent break-ins. 

He started heading back inside to check but stopped when he heard the unmistakable laughter of teens up to no good. He followed the sound around the corner and saw three of them there, hooligans with spray cans defacing public property. These were exactly the kind of delinquents he was looking for.

Blinded by anger he started running after them. One of the kids saw him coming and alerted the others. They dropped their spray cans and scattered, taking off down different streets. Gavin chased after the nearest one, following him through the crowds of Detroit on a Saturday.

He managed to keep up pretty well considering the kid was running about like some sort of pro parkour runner or something. He was only stopped by a hand that grabbed at the back of his jacket, pulling him to a stop.

“What the fuck?” Gavin asked. He spun around, the hand releasing him. Hank stood there, arms crossed, staring down at him with a disappointed look. “What the fuck are you doing here? Where’s Connor?”

“Relax. He’s at home.”

“You’re supposed to be with him, making sure he doesn’t go crazy or anything!”

“I’m more worried about you going crazy,” Hank said. 

Gavin started to sputter out a rebuttal but he gave in with a sigh. Hank was right. Gavin didn’t give a shit what others thought, not really, especially not now. But he had seen the pain in Connor’s eyes and his lack of enthusiasm for life and it broke something inside of him. Someone had hurt Connor and he couldn’t just let that slide.

“C’mon,” Hank said, wrapping an arm around Gavin’s shoulders and steering him back to the paint shop.”Let’s get home and figure this out like the rational adults we are.”

Gavin scoffed. “Speak for yourself.”

-

They arrived back home to find the door wide open. Gavin was out of his car as soon as it was parked, leaving the engine running and racing inside. He was already prepared for the worst. Connor on the floor, beaten and left for dead by those assholes from before. 

What he found instead was Connor and Markus sitting at the table having a conversation as if nothing in the world was wrong.

“What the hell?” Gavin asked, catching his breath a little and trying to come down from the adrenaline high that rush had given him.

“Oh,” Connor said. “Welcome back.”

“Why is the door open?”

Markus stood up. “I’m sorry. That’s my fault. I tend to leave my door open in case anyone needs me. I suppose I just got into the habit of it.”

Gavin closed his eyes and tried to settle on if he wanted to be mad at this Markus for giving him a heart attack or glad that Connor was okay. When Connor got up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and asking if he was okay, Gavin settled on the later.

“I’m fine,” Gavin said. “How are you doing?”

“Pretty well considering recent developments,” Connor said. “Markus was just telling me that he found out who had painted on our house last night.”

Gavin’s attention snapped over to Markus. “Wait, really?”

Markus nodded. “As I had theorized, it was the same group that had let Connor get jumped in the past.” At this Connor, grabbed one of his arms and turned away. “I was able to identify them with the help of Connor’s memories, although it took some time. When I went to confront them I heard one of them gloating about the achievement to another. They are no longer welcome in New Jericho, and when I reported them to the police, they said action wouldn’t be taken unless you pressed charges. But Connor assured me you wouldn’t want to do that.”

Gavin rolled his eyes and looked over at Connor. “Seriously?”

Connor shrugged, not meeting his gaze. “They’re just misguided.”

Gavin groaned. Connor’s ability to forgive and see the best in people was a blessing, and what ultimately brought the two of them together. But it was also really annoying sometimes.

“Anyway, I should be getting back,” Markus said. “The house looks nice now.”

“Thank you,” Connor said, leading him to the door. “For everything.”

Markus gave him a big, genuine smile that Gavin couldn’t help but find contagious. 

“Of course,” Markus said, patting Connor’s shoulder before he left.

“Oh shoot,” Gavin said. “My car.” He raced out after him, Connor chuckling behind him and his world lightening up a little bit more.

-

A week later Gavin told Connor he had something important to do, was leaving early, and asked if Connor could catch a ride home with Hank. No amount of asking or flirting would get Gavin to give in, so Connor agreed, spending the last hour of work wondering what Gavin could be up to.

The whole ride home Hank kept looking over at Connor, but when asked, he would just do his little frown, shake his head, and say, “nothing.”

Connor was fed up with the feeling by the time they got home. All the lights were off in the house, but Gavin’s car was in the driveway. He tilted his head, studying the front of the house, wondering if maybe Gavin's important thing was simply falling asleep early. 

Hank laughed and grabbed his shoulder. “C’mon,” he said, steering him to the front door. 

It was unlocked so Connor pushed it open and stepped into the darkness. He reached over and flipped on the light and about a dozen friendly faces popped out at him yelling, “Surprise!”

He jumped back a bit, LED spinning a fast yellow as he took in the scene. Streamers had been strung up around the walls and little bundles of balloons sporting the phrase ‘happy birthday’ were arranged throughout the room. A small pile of prettily wrapped boxes was off to the side and in the middle of friends from the DPD and Jericho was Gavin, hands on his hips, looking absolutely proud of himself.

“Happy birthday, kid,” Hank said, patting him on the back.

“I don’t, I don’t understand,” Connor said, coming down from the shock as he looked around. 

“One year ago today you first came into existence,” Gavin explained. “So we threw you a party. It’s what humans do.”

Connor looked over all the smiling faces. There was Tina, Chris, and Richard, along with a few other friendly officers from the precinct. And Markus was there, along with North, Josh, Simon and a few other androids that didn’t totally hate him. Something hitched inside his system and Connor felt a tear roll down his cheek. 

“You okay?” Gavin asked, stepping up to him. 

Connor nodded, wiping the tear away. “Those pesky happy tears, I assume.”

Gavin chuckled and pulled Connor further into the room. “Well, the man of honor has finally arrived. Let the party begin!”

Tina turned on the stereo and the room was filled with music. Everyone got to mingling, humans and androids, androids and humans, and in the briefest of moments when Connor wasn’t talking with someone, he felt a sense of great joy to know that all of this was happening in his name. 

After about an hour of talking and hanging out, Gavin turned the music down and announced it was time for presents.

“Presents?” Connor asked. “I get presents?”

“Well, duh,” Tina said. “Who do you think all that’s for?” She nodded at the pile of wrapped boxes and Connor shrugged.

“I thought they were just decorations. Everyone chuckled a bit and Connor started to feel a little self-conscious, like he wanted everyone to leave and he could just be an idiot alone. But Gavin sat him down on the couch and brought the pile of presents over to him and curiosity replaced that feeling real fast.

Connor smiled, bounced a bit, and grabbed the card that was lying on top of the pile. The front was a little hippo and the text read ‘hip-hip-hooray, someone’s one today.’

“The card was Tina’s idea,” Chris mumbled.

Connor laughed at the cuteness of the card and opened it. Something dropped onto his lap but he was more interested in what was written on the card. It seemed most, if not all, of his coworkers had signed it, some even writing little notes of well wishes.

Connor then picked up what had dropped. It was a little membership card to the aquarium, a brightly colored fish on the background. 

“It gives you free daily passes for you and a guest,” Tina explained.

Connor could already feel tears stinging at his eyes again. He tried hard to force them back. “Thank you, it’s quite a lovely thought.”

He picked up the next present, a longer box. Inside it was a simple black umbrella with a lovely wooden handle. 

“Twist the bottom of it,” North told him, a smirk on her face. Connor did as instructed and part of it slid off, revealing a blade underneath. “An umbrella and a knife,” North said. “Duel purpose.”

“Very efficient,” Connor said, sliding the sheath back on.

Josh got him a journal, because expressing emotions with the written word supposedly helps. Simon got him a birthday/housewarming combination gift in the shape of a lovely potted plant. Markus gave him a paint set, saying that practice makes perfect and Connor promised to try it, even though he knew he would never be good at it. Hank had actually gotten Connor a couple of gifts, but had left them at his house to give out later, not wanting to derail the whole party. 

The last gift on the table was from Gavin. Connor tore it open, barely containing his excitement. It was a tablet, and when he turned it on the only thing loaded was that addicting match-3 app from Gavin’s phone.

Connor blushed a little as Gavin chuckled and slid close from the seat next to him. “It’s really just a gift for me,” he said. “I’m tired of you always stealing my phone.”

Connor laughed and turned to give his boyfriend a chaste kiss.

“And that’s not all,” Tina said.

Everyone started singing at him and Connor looked around, confused, until Hank came out of the kitchen carrying a small cake with a one-shaped candle sticking out of the middle. Connor’s blush deepened and he felt that self-conscious embarrassment yet again.

“I know you don’t eat cake,” Gavin said once it was placed down before them. “But you still deserve to make a wish.”

Connor nodded and closed his eyes. He wished for happiness like this forever. He wished for Gavin to always be by his side and for Hank and everyone to always be his friends. He wished that life would always be full of perfect, wonderful surprises such as these and that he would be able to handle whatever life threw at him.

Connor blew out the candle and everyone clapped. He opened his eyes, looking around at everyone and couldn’t stop himself from crying that time. He had a feeling his wish would come true.

**Author's Note:**

> GUESS WHAT"S COMING NEXT???  
> I'll give you a hint-do you hear those bells in the distance? Wonder what they could be...  
> ALSO  
> keep an eye out on my Tumblr or the convin server for some exciting news regarding this series 👀


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